Chains that Bind
by Leranas
Summary: What if the Kyubbi wasn't actually one demon, but the collective conciousness of nine? And,if that is the case, what kind of crazy things can happen? Discontinued and up for Adoption...
1. Suspicions

**AN: I want to say, first of all, that whatever I post each day is what I have typed up that day during my half-hour lunch period. If I end in a rather bad spot, I will apologize in advance. bows and sobs quietly Gomen.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto and co. belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not me.**

**Summary: What if the Kyubbi was nothing more than the collective consciousnesses of several demons, and not just one? If that was the case, what crazy things would happen and which things wouldn't? There will be a bit of OOC work in here, but I ask you to put up with my pathetic attempts at a story plot.**

**(Sasuke's POV)**

I must say that this is a rather unusual day. I thought that only graduated genin were supposed to be here today, but yet there the dobe sits. I'm almost certain that he ran out of the building yesterday without a headband, but he's wearing one now. Not to mention that I think its Iruka's, because of the loose rivet in the lower right corner. **(1)**

Then there's the fact that he looks nothing like his usual self, beings how he is wearing absolutely no orange what so ever. He is wearing a sleeveless silver shirt that is almost criminally short. There is some kind of pattern on his stomach, and a darker tan mark on his arm shaped like a teardrop. I guess we now know why he wears long sleeves all the time. His lower arms, from elbow to knuckle, were covered in pale blue gloves. The gloves had a metal plate across the back of the hand.

As much as I hate to admit, I can't stop my gaze from going a bit lower. I am _so_ envious of his boots. They were non-traditional shinobi wear for sure. They were made of deep black leather, with tiny silver chains shaped into flowering vines. I wasn't sure how high they ran, because the top was covered by his dark blue pants.

The most disturbing thing that is going on today is the fact that he hasn't spoken a word for the entire time that he has been there. That's actually kind of creeping me out. All he's been doing is sitting there completely absorbed in the sketch pad and pencil that are in front of him. Already he had flipped four pages, and the one person who had tried to look at his drawings, Kiba, had started and the backed away, a look of utter shock and amazement on his face.

I hate to admit this, but his behavior today has been so erratic and strange that I'm actually too nervous to go check it out myself.

**(General POV)**

"Alright class, I'll be announcing the teams after the lunch break. Since the other teachers will be having a meeting in here, we'll be going outside for lunch."

**(1):** I had to have some way of defining it as Iruka's, so I made his unique.


	2. Confrontations

**AN: so sorry it took me so long to update, but I really had a lot of work to do and I haven't gotten to a computer since I last posted. Sorry for the awkward ending everybody. I'm going to try to post more often, so please bear with me.**

"What about you, Iruka-Sensei? You're a teacher too."

"Yes, Sakura, I am. I'm also actually going on injury leave right after lunch, as I'm not holding up as well as I though I would."

"Iruka-Sensei, how did you get injured so badly? You were perfectly fine yesterday, and if you really are injured that bad you shouldn't have come to school today."

"Maybe not, Ino, but I wasn't about to miss a day this important when I've never missed one before. As for how I got injured, lets just say that Mizuki doesn't exactly fight like a school teacher."**(1)**

"I-I-Iruka-S-Sensei? W-w-why w-was M-Mizuki S-Sensei f-fighting y-y-you?"**(2)**

"Well, I hate to tell you this, but Mizuki wasn't as nice as he seemed to be. Enough questions now, just get outside. Naruto, would you help me get out there?"

"As you wish Iruka-dono…"

As the rest of the class stared in shock as Naruto packed his art supplies into a knapsack, got up, and respectfully helped Iruka out the door. Well, almost the rest, as Sasuke just frowned. Just one thought went through his head, as the other idiots burst into whispered ponderings of the blonde's new attitude. Little did he know, but three other boys were wondering the same thing as him, and had came to the same conclusion.

'Was I the only one who noticed that his voice was completely different? I'm going to go talk to him and find out what's going on.'

**Outside**

As the genins sat around outside and talked, Iruka sat with Naruto, one hand idly fiddling with the grass, and the other hand holding most of his weight as he looked over Naruto's shoulder.

"Who's picture are you drawing now?"

"…Sakura's…"

"Why her? Any _special_ reason?"

"No. her lifeline was just the one that came to the forefront next."

"Um… lifeline?"

"Hey, dobe."

"Hello Sasuke-san, is there something I can do for you?"

Iruka looked up, straight into the Uchiha's… nervous eyes? He could see Kiba and Shino standing behind a nearby tree, with Shikamaru leaning on the front of the tree. Naruto finally looked up as well.

"Well, don't just stand there, come over here and sit down, so I can answer your questions."

AN

I've always imagined that the school teachers, would fight a bit different than the ninja who fight out in the field every day of their life.

Guess who…


	3. Curiosity

**AU: I'm really sorry, if you don't like this story, but I'm still going to post. I just do this to get the ideas out of my head anyway, so this is more of a stress reliever than anything. If that offends you, I can't really help that.**

"Tch. So troublesome."

Despite his protests, Shikamaru followed the other two over to stand beside Sasuke.

"Sit. Then you can ask your questions and I will see if I can answer them. I need to change the setting a bit first, though."

"What do you me-"

Kiba never got the chance to finish his sentence as Naruto held up one hand, the first two fingers bent at the second knuckle. The air around the six people shimmered, growing more pronounced until the air trembled into a completely different scene.

The sky was a muted shade of lavender, and the grass and trees were a violent shade of bloody red. The tree bark was a pitch black, and the earth of the ground was a dark blue. All in all, it was a very weird place.

"Where are we, dobe?"

"We are in a secluded place, in an entirely separate dimension. A place, Sasuke-san, where none of our conversation will be overheard. I imagine that the conversation that we are about to have may be a bit controversial to common belief. None of what you hear here is to be repeated. Is that understood?"

There was a resounding "hai" from all who were present.

"Since you were here first Iruka, and you have superiority, you may have your question answered first. After that we will go in a clockwise pattern. Is that acceptable?"

"I believe so. My first question would have to be how long this will last. Will we be back in time for the team assignments?"

"Yes, Iruka, we will be. We are actually in an area of suspended timeframes. When I send us back, we will be back where we were with a four minute time lapse. I haven't worked out how to reduce the time lapse yet. Next is your turn, Shikamaru. What is your question?"

"What was your role in Iruka's injuries? And don't bother telling me that you don't have a part in them, because by the way you're fussing over him, I know you did."

"Yes, I did. Iruka saved my life, and got wounded in the process. A short time later, I helped Iruka out of a tight spot and beat Mizuki-sensei into a bloody pulp. Next is your question, Kiba."

"Where in the world did you learn to draw like that? When I checked out your work over your shoulder, the first thing I saw was a picture of me looking over your shoulder. A very good picture too. How did you know that I was going to look over your shoulder?"

**AN: I hope you will tune in again for the next installment. **


	4. Disillusionment

**AN: Sorry that it's been so long since I updated. My family's computer was on the fritz, and it took my dad forever to get it fixed. It is now though, so expect updates.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Naruto**_**, that honor belongs to Kishimoto-sama.**

"That was actually two questions, Kiba, so I will answer the first now and answer the second on your next turn. Does that sound okay?"

"That's fine."

"I've known how to draw for a long time now, Kiba. When you're as prone to hospital visits as I am, you generally make sure you have some way to pass the time. Over the years I've just gotten better. Sasuke, it's your turn."

"I have a statement first. You're _not_ Naruto, and don't try to deny it. Who are you?"

"Sasuke-san! That is preposterous, what are you saying?!"

"Hold, Iruka-dono. The Uchiha boy is correct. Actually, I expected you to butt in and ask that question sooner. Before I tell you who I really am, I must explain your presence. To do that, I will have to break your villages view of the matter in you. _Can you live with that?_"

"So you're saying that you're going to tell us something that disproves a part of our village's history?"

"Yes, Shikamaru, I am."

"Tch, troublesome."

"Go ahead."

"…"

"Very well. As you have all been told, the creature known as the Kyubbi no Kitsune attacked this village 12 years ago. You were also told that your Yondaime destroyed the creature. That is, in fact, not true. The Kyubbi no Kitsune was too powerful to be destroyed. To rid this village of the Kyubbi, he had to make a sacrifice. At the cost of his own life, he summoned Shinigami and asked for his help. He then sealed the "demon" into the only thing that could contain it and not be destroyed. A human child. This child was supposed to be a hero, but instead was viewed as the "demon" he held. That child sits before you today, and asks, if not for friendship, than at least recognition that he as human as you."

"Well, hell. What exactly do you expect us to say to that? Did you actually think we would hate you for something that wasn't your fault? Don't worry about it, we're still your friends Na- well, whatever your name is. I guess…"

"If you're not Naruto, who are you?"

"…More importantly, what's the rest of the story?"

"Very astute of you, Shino. There is more to this story, and this part will reveal why I'm here, I believe. You have all been told that the Kyubbi was a demon right? That's not exactly true."

**AN: Hope you like. Just wait until the explainations and introductions are all done. When the real fighting starts, I'm going to have to up the rating. I may not be the best with story lines or dialogue, but my battle scenes can get pretty gory.**


	5. Heirachy of Hell

**AN: Hey there everyone, sorry it's been so long. It does seem that I'm talking to myself since I don't think anyone's reading this anyway, but it still helps to get all the ideas out of my head. Please be patient with me.**

"The Kyubbi was a collective entity. He was the pure rage, hate, and power of nine different demons, each of great power. Many people ask why the Kyubbi attacked Konoha. The reason starts in the very bowels of Hell.

One of the territorial thrones was newly open. The High Lord couldn't pick an heir, so the nine competitors decided to hash it out themselves. Whichever of the nine could create the most destruction would win the throne. And so, they sent out a demonic illusion filled with their power. What they didn't know, however, is that they were not the only ones with that idea."

"What do you mean territorial throne?"

"Well, I guess I could explain that. The realm of Hell is divided into nine levels. Each level has a set of four territories. There are, in effect, 37 thrones in total. Each throne is responsible for the safety of one of the four cardinal directions; North, South, East, and West. Each level's rulers help the other level rulers protect their quadrant."

"If their job is to protect, why did they want to see who could destroy more?"

"That, Kiba, is the nature of most demons. Once in a very great while, a demon is born with the temperament to protect. That demon usually becomes a territory ruler for their respective level. When there is more than one the High Lord, who rules from the center of the ninth level, decides."

"…That means that this High Lord found none of the contestants suitable for the position."

"Exactly, Shino. They were all powerful, but none of them had the protective instinct. The High Lord had, in fact, had an eye on a different group of demons. This group was of nine as well, and the High Lord could not decide between them. And so…."

"This High Lord of yours set it all up as a test. Tch. You demons are too troublesome."

"Yes, I'm afraid that we are. It is a factor we are all born with, as our Realm is the resting place of all the chaos this world creates. In truth, demons are the spawn of humans, as are our counterparts of the angelic race.

We were created from your emotions. When you think of killing someone, you create a demon. The strength of your hatred for that person determines the level the demon is born on. When you think of protection someone, an angel is born."

**Until Next Time!**


	6. Cyranas

**AN: I'm BACK! Finally, my computer time and free time correspond! On With the Story!!!**

"What if you actually still love the one you want to kill?"

"Then, Sasuke, the demon you create is born with the protective instinct. The one you created a good five (**AN: would that be around the time of the Uchiha massacre?**) years ago lives now as the youngest demon to ever hold a ninth level throne. He protects the Eastern region."

"Who do you want to kill that badly, Sasuke?"

"My brother, Kiba. The man who killed the rest of my family."

"Tch. Brothers seem troublesome. What happened with the test N- you really have to tell us _your_ name."

"My name is Cyranas. You may, however, call me Cyra."

"Isn't that an awfully girly name for a guy?"

"It is, but then again, I'm not a guy. The demon is the same gender as the creator, so there are female demons. We're just not as common. Males tend to have more aggressive thoughts than females."

"…That's just strange, talking to a woman in a man's body. Is there any way you can look like your true self?"

"I can cast an illusion of my true form, but isn't that kind of strange to say something like that to me? After all, not all of your _bugs_ are male."

"…."

Cyranas held up her hands and placed them both, once again with the first two fingers bent at the second knuckle, in front of here face. She then blew through the triangular gap, sending multicolored flecks flying through the air. The particles condensed around her, forming an illusionary screen. When the screen cleared, Cyra showed her face to them for the first time.

She had pale skin with dark purple tattoos in an almost tribal patterning. Cyra's hair was jet black with silver and gold streaks. The strange thing about the streaks was that they never stayed in one place. The constantly shifted, forming strange patterns. Her eyes were such a pale green, that they were almost white.

"Whoa! That is so creepy! I think that this is getting a little out of hand…"

"What is, Kiba?"

"First of all, this whole situation! How do I know that this isn't some mass insanity?"

"It's real, Kiba."

"How do you know, Sasuke?"

"Because none of us have the imagination needed to come up with a hallucination this elaborate. Plus, think about it. Everything she's told us about Naruto so far corresponds to things that we've already seen."

"Thank you, Sasuke."

"That still doesn't explain your eyes. No one has eyes like that."

And it was true. Her eyes could be considered creepy, and even alien. After all they had no pupils, actually, no visible eyeballs at all. All you could see was the pale green light that seemed to emanate from the sockets where her eyes should have been.

**AN: Hope to see you soon! **


	7. Possession

**Hello, everybody! I'm back**

**Disclaimer: The Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto-dono, not me.**

"…I don't really mind the eyes so much. I think that it's the hair that will drive me crazy."

"Her hair? Yeah, it is troublesome…, but what is she wearing?"

Cyra's clothing was a flowing kimono, but the fabric was one none of them had seen before. The designs that were printed on the material, a dragon and a phoenix locked in battle, moved around on the pitch black fabric. The two creatures viciously fought, leaving splashes of blood across the kimono only to have the blood gather together and move in rhythm with the streaks in her hair.

"Excuse me, Cyra-san, would you continue the story? I must say that I've become very antsy trying to wait patiently to find out how this will go. I know our version of the story, but I'm finding it fascinating to hear yours."

"Yes, I will continue, Iruka. When the first nine came to the mortal realm, they fought over what shape to take. Finally, a young man showed up and the nine demons came up with a compromise. They possessed the boy who could not fend them off, for he did not have the Sight necessary to see them. They completely destroyed his mind and walked into the closest city. This one."

"Who was this man, Cyra? What happened?"

"The man's name was Orochimaru. Many from this town seem to believe that the boy was always a bit evil. He wasn't evil, but he _was _already possessed by a spirit of nature. A snake spirit called Sivred, who was also destroyed by the demons. Sivred was not evil, but he did want to be returned to a body of his own; to that end, he drove the boy to try to find a suitable body for him."

"So that's why he was so obsessed with finding 'the perfect vessel'. He was always creeping people out with his whole 'are you the one' act. Then he got worse, kidnapping known criminals and homeless people, and using them in inhumane experiments."

"That was when he was taken by the demons. They used him to kill many raising their own power. When the nine who were being tested arrived here, it was already too late to save the boy. The nine had rooted themselves in too deep. The only way to redeem the child's soul now was to kill him. They knew they had to kill the boy, but the question was how to do so. By the time they fully formed themselves, the boy had run off and no one knew where he was."

"The Hokage found him in his experiment room and exiled him because he couldn't bear to kill the boy he had trained."

"Is that what happened? Well, at least we know now."

"Question, if the first nine got here so quickly, why did it take the other nine so long?"

**AN: And that's a wrap! See you next week…probably…maybe.**


	8. Adren

**AN: Here you Go!**

"Ah, that is a good question. The fact is that these demons were younger, and had not yet learned to fully materialize in this world. Simply put, they had to take the long way."

"Well, at least they got here."

"Thank you, Kiba. Now, as I was saying, the younger nine decided that the boy would most likely try to come back and finish the job. All they had to do was wait. The problem was they would be a bit conspicuous, and if the other nine knew they were there they might not come. So, they made a pact with the new village leader to become Hunter nin. That way they would be ready when the boy came back, and no one would ever know they were there."

"I remember now! Back when I was a little kid, there was a group of new Hunters. I accidentally ran into one as she was coming back from a hunt. She was covered in blood, and her mask was that of a panda bear. She helped me up, and I remember that this design of some kind of bird peeked over her shoulder and startled me. Then the bird opened it's beak as if to squawk at me, and then disappeared again. That scared me so much that I ran away! That was you, wasn't it?!"

"I do remember a small boy running away from me after I helped him up. I didn't know that it was my bird that scared you; I thought it was all the blood. I also didn't recognize you with that scar across your nose, you didn't have that then."

"I got it in the Kyubbi attack, along with losing my parents. You seem like such a nice person, so why would you and the others do that.?"

"To finish this tale, I must tell you something about one of the members of the group known as Kyubbi. I already told you of the angels, right? Well, something I didn't tell you was the fact that one of our group was a Fallen."

"What is a Fallen, Cyra?"

"A Fallen is an angel who has fallen from grace and been cast down into hell."

"What did he do to become a Fllen?"

"He broke the greatest taboo an Angel can break, Shikamaru. He fell in love with a human. Not only that but he had a child by her. A half-breed child is a thing of great power, but they also draw trouble to themselves."

"Who did he fall in love with, and what is his name?"

"His name is Adren, and I don't know the name of the woman who bore his child. All I know is what the baby came to be called."

"What was the baby's name?"

"He was called Arashi Kazama, known more recently as the Yondaime Hokage."

**AN: Sorry I'm late this week, but I've been having to use my free time to finish a website assignment. See you all again soon.**


	9. Lady of the Snow

**AN: Wow, Chapter Nine already… who would of thought it would get this far? Not me, that's for certain. Thank you all for putting up with me, despite how frustrating it might be.**

"…Well, that's a surprise. To think, the Yondaime Hokage had to permanently seal away his own father."

"I know. Before we get to that point in time, however, there was worse than that."

"How so?"

"When we took our jobs as Hunters for Konoha, Adren was sent on a mission to rescue a kidnapped woman. She was the daughter of a Snow Lord. He rescued her and brought her back to Konoha. The problem was, he had fallen in love with her. Then it got even worse."

"He fell in love again?! Dude, this guy's not very faithful, is he?"

"Kiba, Arashi's mother died in childbirth, something that happens in every rare occurrence of a half-breed child."

"Oh. Still, how did it get worse?"

"Adren wasn't the only one who fell in love. His son did as well. The girl was more his age, and she eventually fell in love with Arashi as well. Even after she went home, they had been sending each other letters, until she eventually convinced her father to send her to Konoha as a diplomatic liaison. Despite Adren's love for the girl, he loved his son more, and so stayed out of his son's way. Arashi and Kazeko, the Snow Lord's daughter, eventually eloped, never telling anyone they had gotten married."

"Why didn't they tell anyone?"

"Actually, I think I can answer that Kiba. May I, Cyra?"

"I get the feeling that you have the right idea. Go ghead, Sasuke."

"This Kazeko woman was of noble birth, right? Generally, it would be forbidden for her to marry anyone of 'common birth'."

"Well, I would hardly say common, Sasuke. Arashi _was_, when all was said and done, of quite an uncommon union."

"Yes, Iruka, but no one knew that."

"Anyway, Kazeko became pregnant. Her family found out and sent her to stay with relatives in the back woods of Snow Country. Arashi and Kazeko were never to meet again."

**AN: Two chapters in one day! W00T! Go me!**


	10. Betrayed by Blood

**AN: As a special holiday bonus, this chapter is going to be a long one. Hope you like it!  
For Disclaimers, see chapter 1**

"Tch. Parents are too troublesome for their own good. Didn't they realize that by separating them, they were just making her miserable?"

"Parents seldom see things the way we do. They see a potential threat to the ones they love, and they make a choice to protect them. Even if it's not the choice their loved ones wanted them to make. They believe that seeing their loved ones unhappy is better then seeing their loved ones dead."

"…I've never seen it that way before. You have a very interesting view on life."

"I'm not sure if I should, but I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"Good. It was meant that way."

"Enough flirting, you two. Could we get back to the story? I want to know what happens next."

"Alright Kiba, although I would appreciate you keeping your opinions to yourself, I will continue the story. Well, around the time that Kazeko got pregnant, Adren paid a visit to her. In his son's shape. He was unable to bear the thought of never being able to touch her, and had decided to trick her for a single night. And, that's what he did. After she was sent away, Adren admitted that he had slept with Kazeko to Arashi."

"Oh man…that is on dysfunctional family. How did Arashi react to the fact that his dad had fu- oww…?"

"Please keep your crudeness to yourself; I'd rather not learn any of that portion of your limited vocabulary."

"I'll show you limited vocabulary, Shino. Just you wait, and I'll discredit your statement. So, ha!"

"Oh dear, someone loaned the mutt a dictionary. What's next, Sasuke in a geisha outfit?"

"Watch it, Shino."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Sorry, that was a little over the top."

"As long as we understand each other."

"Alright, settle down boys. Let's let Cyra finish her story, and no more interruptions unless you're given permission. Got it?"

"Yes, sensei…"

"Now about that almost asked question, Kiba. I guess I forgot to mention this, but Arashi didn't know Adren was his father. All he knew was that our group wasn't human, and was working for him in return for letting us stay. He only knew our Hunter names, and never even saw what some of us looked like."

"Well that doesn't mean that he wasn't going to be angry with the guy."

"Kiba! What did I say about interruptions?"

"Not to… would you please continue your story Cyra? I'll try to be quiet from now on…"

"Oh, don't bother. I like answering all your guys' questions. It lets me know that you are listening and taking this seriously."

"Really? That's actually a relief. I don't know how long I can keep my mouth shut."

"Don't worry. Now, what you said before is true, Arashi was angry. The problem was he knew he had no chance of winning in a fight against Adren. All he could do was reprimand him and set up a restraining order. Then he took himself down to the closest bar in disguise and get drunker that he ever had before. Drunk enough so that when a woman who had come in earlier propositioned him, he accepted. And, just like that, there was another betrayal and another baby. Unfortunately for Arashi, he had been recognized. Kazeko's family had put a spy on his tail, to try to catch him in some kind of immoral act. And catch him this spy did, for Arashi was too drunk and angry to notice his watcher."

"Tch. So your saying that one of the greatest hero's on our history was actually human, even if he did have angelic blood?"

"Well, yes, I guess I could say that…but what do you mean?"

"whenever someone is proclaimed a village hero, it seems that everyone immediately starts to believe that the hero is some sort of god."

"Ah. Well, I'm happy to say that yes, Arashi was only mortal. Unfortunately for him, his divine blood did not prevent him from making foolish mistakes. That night proved to be the most devastating of all to him. Two days after his drunken binge, he received a package in the mail, containing only one thing."

"What was it? Why did you stop talking? You are so troublesome, Cyra…"

"Sorry, but my throat is a bit dry after all this talking. Do any of you have any wayer?"

"Oh, that's easy. I brought lunch too. I didn't know how many people would be joining us, so I packed a whole bunch!"

"How did you even know we would be joining you? And where the hell did that picnic basket come from?"

"Oh, one of the jonins has been teaching me some of the minor sealing techniques. I figured some one was going to get curious enough about Naruto's new attitude to come over during lunch. I just planned ahead. I didn't bring any water though, I brought something better. Lemonade!"

"Can dogs drink lemonade, Kiba?"

"Yeah, why? I din't bring Akamaru with me."

"Well apparently he followed you. Were you so into my story that you didn't notice him sitting under that tree over there?"

"Wher-that's not Akamaru! That's a wolf!"

"Oh dear, perhaps I should explain. And release the illusion I put on all you guys."

**AN: Let's see how long this will tide you over…**


	11. Inner Spirits

**AN: I Am SOOOO SORRY! I didn't even realize until Knight25 sent me a message. It took me so long to post this because I had three essays and a literary analysis to do, one after another. This is the real Chapter 11, and by my inept fumbling, you can already tell that I don't own most of the Naruto cast. I just own all of the Demon Personas.**

"…What?"

"Well, when I used that jutsu to show you my true image, I wasn't the only one affected. That jutsu is normally used to show someone what the people around them are truly like. Everyone in the jutsu's range is shown to the world in a humanoid form of the animal their true nature reflects. For me, it simply showed you guys what the one talking really looked like. I didn't want to scare you, so I put an illusion up so you wouldn't see what you and each other looked like. Do you want me to release it?

The five males glanced at each other, and then at Akamaru in wolf form lying in the shade. Then they looked at Cyra and nodded. She smiled and raised her left hand with the middle two fingers lying down against her palm, and the other two fingers at a 90 degree angle to them. Her thumb stuck straight up.

"Kai!"

Her hand glowed a brilliant green, and then threw out a ring of emerald light encompassing the boys and Iruka. There were loud gasps as the illusions were stripped away and the forms that their inner personalities had taken were revealed.

As the oldest, Iruka was still the tallest, but he was also the … featheriest, if there is such a word. He had pale grayish cream feathers with black and dark grey tips covering his arms from the elbow down, and the feathers also ran down his lower legs to his ankles. His face had taken on a leaner and more angular look.

"Wow Iruka, you really are a mother hen!"

"You better shut up before he henpecks you to death, Kiba…."

"And here I always thought you were the quiet one Shino. Now we find out you're just incredibly sarcastic. And that you have wings and antenna."

Shino, contrary to what you might think, was not a beetle. He had black spotted white moth wings and long curving antennas. His hands had small spurs sticking out and there were more spurs running up his arm to his elbow. His face was still covered, but if he hadn't been wearing his sunglasses, you would have seen that his eyes were multi-faceted and completely pitch black.

"What can I say; I'm usually trying to stop myself from saying something sarcastic. (**AN: This is actually what I think. I just couldn't resist putting it in here.**) That's why I'm always so quiet. I was afraid that if I said what I wanted to, I'd get hit. I guess I'm just very opinionated."

"You can say that again. You're also just plain mean sometimes."

"Whatever you say you mangy mongrel."

"Hey, that was totally uncalled for! I may be a bit scruffy, but I am not mangy."

Kiba, while all the others had stood up, was hunched down on all fours not looking much changed. Well, except for the floppy black dog ears and the white tipped black curly tail. Otherwise, he looked pretty much like he usually did.

"Yeah right, I bet you have fleas. Don't spread them to us please. It would be too troublesome trying to get them out of this fur. It's already going to be a hassle trying to keep it clean. How do cats deal with it?"

"I wish I knew, Shikamaru. I'm worse off than you; at least you didn't get a tail. It keeps twitching on its own, and I have the weirdest urge to try and catch it."

Shikamaru and Sasuke had both turned out to be cats, but they were very different in appearances.

Shikamaru had dark grayish black fur on his lower arms and legs, and slightly pointed claws on the ends of his nails. His ears were black-tipped grey with black freckles. His canines were slightly pointed and his eyes had turned to a hazel color with slitted pupils.

Sasuke had longer white fur with black stripes on his arms and legs, slightly curled at the tips. His errant tail was long enough to reach down to his knees, and was white tipped with black. His ears were white with tufts of fur at the tips, and his eyes were a pale blue color and slit pupiled. Like Shikamaru, his nails and canines were more pointed than normal.

"Don't worry, you two. Kiba doesn't have fleas, because there's no one else but us here. We could still get him a collar though."

"No thinks. I'm good. I wouldn't want such a disobiedent pet. He would probably flunk obedience school too…."

**AN: And here we end… see you soon.**


	12. Important Message From the Author

THIS STORY IS NOW UP FOR ADOPTION AS MY BROTHERS DESTROYED ALL MY HARDCOPY NOTES AND THE ALREADY TYPED CHAPTERS WERE LOST IN A SYSTEM CRASH.

IF ANYONE WANTS TO ADOPT IT, LET ME KNOW…


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